The Atlanta dining trail

Sometimes dinner begins with a hard-earned reservation. Or a drive across town to a specific address plugged into your GPS. Or a 90-minute wait in a crowded reception area waiting to hear your name over a loudspeaker.

But sometimes dinner begins with a stroll. Your destination isn’t the specific restaurant, but rather a neighborhood filled with options.

In recent years, many of the metro area’s town squares, thoroughfares, shopping malls and planned communities have developed into full-on dining neighborhoods. Drinks, dinner and dessert don’t all have to be in the same place. Discoveries abound, waiting to be made.